The full scientific agenda is also available in our conference app, Whova
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The program for DFCon 2026 is available NOW!
| 7:00 - 8:00 | Registration Open |
| 8:00 - 8:10 | The Departure Lounge David G. Armstrong (DPM, MD, PhD), Joseph L. Mills Sr. (MD, FACS), Michael S. Conte (MD) |
SESSION 1: Hop on the Magic Bus- Different Nations, Same Sole
| 8:10 - 8:25 | The Bus Starts Here: The 2026 Global Preservation Tour Sicco Bus, PhD |
| 8:25 - 8:40 | One Team, in the Name of Limbs: How MLK Hospital Is Making the Impossible Possible David Tobey, DO |
| 8:40 - 8:55 | How do we define a Center of Excellence in Limb Preservation? A Message from Exotic Portland Cy Dove, DPM |
| 8:55 - 9:10 | Oh! Canada! A North American Free Toes Alliance (NAFTA) Ahmed Kayssi, MD |
| 9:10 - 9:25 | V.A.-Va-Voom! Driving System-Wide Limb Preservation in the Department of Veterans Affairs Hiro Suzuki, MD |
| 9:25 - 9:40 | Don't Worry, Be Hari: The WUWHS Global State of the Union Harikrishna Nair |
| 9:40 - 09:55 | Panel Discussion |
| 09:55 - 10:15 | AM Break: coffee only (exhibit opens for lunch) |
SESSION 2: Flow, Flow, Flow Again
| 10:15 - 10:30 | Hard Rock & Heavy Metal: Is Orbital Atherectomy All That?Mike Siah, MD |
| 10:30 - 10:45 | Mission Impossible: Defining the "No Option" Patient Neal Barshes, MD, MPH |
| 10:45 - 11:00 | Simply the BEST: Deep Diving into the BEST-CLI Global Sub-Studies Michael Conte, MD |
| 11:00 - 11:15 | The BEST of Times: Translating Trial Evidence into PracticeJoseph L. Mills Sr., MD, FACS, |
| 11:15 - 11:30 | Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Conquering the Calcified VesselSamantha Minc, MD |
| 11:30 - 11:45 | Panel Discussion |
| 11:45 - 01:15 | Lunch Break and Exhibit |
| 12:00 - 01:00 | Sponsored Lunch Symposium by Stryker PV (non-CME) Connecting Care for Limb Salvage: From Patient Identification to Post TADV Care Arbor Ballroom G Brian Lepow, MD & Laura Shin, DPM, PhD |
| 01:15 - 01:30 | OLMOS AWARD PRESENTATION |
SESSION 3: Infectious Grooves
| 01:30 - 01:45 | I need a Hiro: Lessons on the Latest in Antimicrobial CareHiroyuki Suzuki, MD |
| 01:45 - 02:00 | The BeBoP Beat: To Treat or Not to Treat Before the Biopsy?Marcos Schechter, MD |
| 02:00 - 02:15 | Search and Destroy: The Predict Prevent, and Treat Battleplan Brian Schmidt, DPM |
| 02:15 - 02:30 | Image Based Debridement is now a Thing: Just Watch This!Stephanie Woelfel, PT, DPT, CWS |
| 02:30 - 02:45 | It's worse than you think: Mortality and WoundsWilliam Tettelbach, MD |
| 02:45 - 03:00 | Panel Discussion |
| 03:00 - 04:00 | PM Break: Exhibit & Posters |
| 03:00 - 04:00 | Sponsored Workshop by Integra LifeSciences Corporation (non-CME) Off-loading with TCC-EZ Workshop Arbor Ballroom G (Registration needed) Jeffrey Jensen, DPM |
SESSION 4: The Supporting Cast: Every Sole Singer Needs a Band
| 04:00 – 04:15 | I dream of Gene - Are Gene and Cell Therapy Ready for Prime Time Michael Conte, MD |
| 04:15 – 04:30 | Happy CAMPers? Your Modalities for the Modern Wound Healing Clinic Brian Lepow, DPM |
| 04:30 –04:45 | Counseling the High-Risk Patient (And Their High-Risk Clinician)Brandon Brooks, DPM, MPH |
| 04:45 – 05:00 | Lifestyle Redesign: Engineering a Better Daily Grind For Our Patients Stacey Schepens-Niemiec, PhD, OTR/L |
| 05:00 – 05:15 | First Look: ALPS Clinical Practice Pathway for Diabetic Peripheral NeuropathyLee Rogers, DPM |
| 05:15 – 05:30 | Panel Discussion |
| 05:30 | Adjourn Day 1 |
| 05:30 - 07:30 | Welcome & Poster reception |
| 7:00 | Registration Open |
| 07:00 - 08:00 | Sponsored Breakfast Symposium by AROA (non-CME) Harmony with Hyaluronic Acid: RCT Shows Symphony Strikes the Right Chord for DFU Healing Brisbane Chair: Barnaby May, PhD Speakers: David Armstrong, DPM, MD, PhD & Brandon Bosque, DPM |
| 08:00 - 08:05 | Welcome Back Stephanie Wu & Robert Frykberg |
| 8:00 - 09:40 | CME Workshop: Limb Preservation Center Dream to Reality in Arbor Ballroom G Krishna Jain, Lee Rogers, Miguel Sandoval, Keith Greer |
SESSION 5: Digital Remastery
| 08:05 – 08:20 | TTT WTF?Lee Rogers, DPM |
| 08:20 – 08:35 | Postcard from ALPS: A Fellow's View of the Global FrontierSara Mahmood, DPM |
| 08:35 – 08:40 | ALPS Traveling Fellowship AnnouncementStephanie Wu, Robert Frykberg and Fellow |
| 08:40 – 08:55 | Supporting Physical Activity Behavioral Modifications in Persons with Diabetic Foot Disease Bijan Najafi, PhD |
| 08:55 – 09:10 | The Reyz of Light: What the Podiatric Provider Is Missing in Plain Sight Alex Reyzelman, DPM |
| 09:10 – 09:25 | Regifting the gift of pain: Can Spinal Cord Stimulation Improve Protective Sensation? Rodica Pop Busui, MD |
| 09:25 – 09:40 | Panel Discussion |
| 09:40 – 10.40 | AM Break: Exhibit |
| 09:45 – 10.00 | Sponsored Spotlight Theater by Kerecis (non-CME) From Sea to Salvage Exhibition Hall Cyaandi Dove, DPM |
| 10:00 – 10.30 | Sponsored Workshop by AIROS Medical (non-CME) IPC for PAD: How Noninvasive, Adjunctive Compression Therapy Supports At-Home Arterial Insufficiency Treatment Arbor Ballroom G John Evans, DPM |
SESSION 6: Maximizing Activity Rich Days
| 10:40 - 10:55 | Take Two Walks and Call Me in the Morning: Tailoring Physcial Activity Recommendations for Persons with Diabetic Foot DiseaseStephanie Woelfel, PT, DPT, CWS |
| 10:55 - 11:10 | Goldilocks and the Diabetic Foot: Too Little, Too Much or Just the Right Amount of Physical ActivityRyan Crews, PhD |
| 11.10 - 11:25 | New Pills for Diabetic IllsRodica Pop Busui, MD |
| 11:25 - 11:40 | Should we be treating Charcot fractures more aggressively?Laura Shin, DPM, PhD |
| 11:40 - 11:55 | Maximizing Activity Rich Days with the Optimized Therapeutic Footwear Sicco Bus, PhD |
| 11:55 - 12:10 | Panel Discussion |
| 12:10 - 01:40 | Lunch & Exhibit & Posters |
| 12:25 - 01:25 | Sponsored Lunch Symposium by EnColl (non-CME) Role of Phosphorylated Type-I Collagen in Healing Chronic Diabetic Ulcers Arbor Ballroom G Subramanian Gunasekaran, PhD & Murugan Gunasekaran, BA |
SESSION 7: Silicon Sole: Building the Next Gen Ecosystem to Eliminate Amputation
| 01:40 - 01:55 | WIREDUP: Putting Remote Control of the Diabetic Foot into the Patient's Hands Caitlin Hicks, MD |
| 01:55 - 02:10 | Pressure campaign: Should we be measuring people pre and postop like we say we are? Ron Sherman, DPM |
| 02:10 - 02:25 | High RPM: Putting Remote Control of the Diabetic Foot into the Patient's Hands Lindsey Riegler, PhD |
| 02:25 - 02:40 | Your Chatbot Will See You Now: The Era of Human + AI Collaboration Salman Avestimehr |
| 02:40 - 02:55 | Closing the Loop: AI Chatbots, Smart Boots, and Autonomous Care for the Diabetic Foot Bijan Najafi, PhD, MSc. |
| 02:55 - 03:10 | Panel Discussion |
| 03:10 - 03:30 | PM Break: coffee only / no exhibit |
SESSION 8: Voice of the Patient
| 03:30 - 04:00 | The Sole of the Matter: Sage Wisdom from our Therapeutic Spouses Patients: Lazaro Reyes, Willie Jefferson, Gene Hays & Frank Navarette |
| 04:00 | Adjourn Day 2 |
| 8:00 - 09:30 | DFCon - Taste of Iceland Dessert Reception (faculty & registrants) |
| 7:00 | Registration Open |
| 7:00 - 8:00 | Sponsored Breakfast Symposium by Kent Imaging (non-CME) Clearer Insight, Better Healing: Introducing the PRISM Framework for Chronic Wound Assessment and Management Brisbane Speaker: Jeffrey Niezgoda, MD, FACHM, MAPWCA, CHWS |
| 8:00 - 8:10 | Welcome Back TBD |
SESSION 9: An Image Enhancement
| 08:10 - 08:25 | The BOLD and the Beautiful: Is IVIM MRI the Perfusion Powerhouse? David Reiter, PhD |
| 08:25 - 08:40 | Anu's View on What's New: Dynamic NIRS Anu Godavarty, PhD |
| 08:40 - 08:55 | Pedal with the Mettle? Why Pedal Aceleration Time is the MVP of the Vascular Lab Jill Somerset, RVT |
| 08:55 - 09:10 | RUS PAT FTW Lihong Wang, PhD |
| 09:10 - 09:25 | The Tricorder is here: Mutiple Sensors on One Device Farstash Vasefi |
| 09:25 - 09:40 | Panel Discussion |
| 09:40 - 10:40 | AM Break: Exhibit |
| 09:50 - 10:05 | Sponsored Spotlight Theater by EnColl (non-CME) Cover or Recover? The Type-I Collagen Difference Exhibition Hall Subramanian Gunasekaran, PhD & Murugan Gunasekaran, BA |
SESSION 10: Wound Healing: Deep Cuts to Add to Your Soundtrack
| 10:40 – 10:55 | The Billion Dollar Question: How Do I Make Sense of All of the New Wound Healing Products? Lee Rogers, DPM |
| 10:55 – 11:10 | Who Turned on the Black Light? Seeing the Invisible in the High-Risk Foot Stephanie Woelfel, PT, DPT, CWS |
| 11:10 – 11:25 | Just Say Yes to NO: Is the Future of Nitric Oxide Here? Mike Edmonds, PhD (Virtual) |
| 11:25 – 11:40 | An Axis of Healing: We Should be Using Multiple Topicals to Heal Wounds Harikrishna Nair |
| 11:40 – 11:55 | Clean Sweep 2.0: The IWII Revolution in Wound Hygiene Kara Couch, MS, CRNP, CWS (Virtual) |
| 11:55 – 12:10 | Panel Discussion |
| 12:10 – 01:40 | Lunch |
SESSION 11: Summary Judgement: The Final Countdown
| 01:40 - 01:55 | The Look Ahead: How the International Working Group will Change Your Practice 2027 Sicco Bus, PhD |
| 01:55 - 02:10 | The Screening Standard: Why Most Programs Fail and How We Fix Them Rodica Pop Busui, MD |
| 02:10 - 02:25 | The Ghost of Wounds Past: 40 Years of Healing to Predict the Next 40 Michael Edmonds, MD (Virtual) |
| 02:25 - 02:40 | The Big Idea: What Game Changing Studies will Hit the Limb Preservation Horizon in the Near Future? Michael Conte, MD |
| 02:40 - 2:50 | Abstract Winner Announcement Bijan Najafi, PhD, MSc. |
| 02:50 - 03:00 | The Big Raffle Prize (and Kicking You Out until DFCon27) David G. Armstrong (DPM, MD, PhD) & Michael S. Conte (MD) |
| 03:00 | Adjourn |
OPTIONAL WORKSHOPS
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Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026
Time: 3:00-4:00 PM
Location: Arbor Ballroom G
Facilitator: Jeffrey Jensen, DPM
By: Integra LifeSciences Corporation
This workshop has limited capacity, and spots will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
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Non-CME Workshop
Off-loading with TCC-EZ
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Join Integra for an interactive, hands-on Workshop at DFCon 2026! Dr. Jensen will walk you through the benefits of off-loading with TCC-EZ, help you practice your application techniques, and show how easy casting can be in your clinic or office.
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Date: Friday, October 23, 2026 Time: 8:00-9:40 AM
No registration required.
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CME Workshop
Limb Preservation Center: Dream to Reality
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Dreaming of launching a limb preservation center or looking to strengthen the one you already have? Join this CME workshop at DFCon and learn what it takes to turn vision into reality. From building a successful center and integrating advanced therapies to wound management strategies and sustainable business models, this workshop brings together leading experts in limb preservation for a practical, multidisciplinary discussion.
Featuring:
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Krishna Jain, MBBS, on creating a limb preservation center & medical management and hyperbaric oxygen in wound healing
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Lee Rogers, DPM on wound management within a limb preservation center
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Miguel Sandoval, CEO, on business models for long-term succe
Whether you’re establishing a new program or expanding an existing one, this workshop offers valuable insights from clinicians and leaders who have helped shape successful limb preservation services.
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Date: Friday, October 23, 2026 Time: 10:00-10:30 AM
Location: Arbor Ballroom G
Facilitator: John Evans, DPM
By: AIROS Medical
This workshop has limited capacity, and spots will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
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Non-CME Workshop
IPC for PAD: How Noninvasive, Adjunctive Compression Therapy Supports At-Home Arterial Insufficiency Treatment
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This workshop will revisit the clinical evidence and documented outcomes associated with IPC treatment for arterial insufficiency; discuss the mechanics of IPC therapy and how it increases lower extremity blood flow; review the 2024 ACC/AHA guidelines related to IPC use; and outline selection criteria for considering at-home adjunctive IPC treatment for PAD symptoms.
The session will also introduce the ARTAIRA® arterial compression device, a Medicare-reimbursed and VA-available IPC pump that treats PAD symptoms at home, including diabetic foot, arterial ulcers, atherosclerosis, and intermittent claudication, as well as no-option CLTI patients.